📖✨ This Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, we’re celebrating the richness of heritage while exploring the “Unique Perspectives on Hispanic/Latinx Children’s Books in Raising Awareness about Climate Change.” 🌱📚 Join our upcoming virtual event to discover how our guest authors Andrea Olatunji, Maritza MartĂnez MejĂa and Maria J. Greenhalgh share their expertise and knowledge during our virtual event. Plus, we’ll be giving away a copy of each of the author’s children’s books, including a bonus book giveaway from our Team Member Frances DĂaz Evans!Â
IG Live Series for #MCBDAutismAcceptanceMonth
IG Live Series for Autism Acceptance Month
Throughout April, as part of our focus on Autism Acceptance Month, MCBD is highlighting autistic authors and illustrators and allies in our IG live series! Each week, we cover a different genre of children’s literature, from picture books and middle grade novels to graphic novels and YA books. In each interview, an #OwnVoices autistic creator is interviewed by an ally who is also a fellow author. They share the story behind their work, as well as challenges they have faced and insights they have gained. Videos are uploaded to our YouTube channel afterwards for viewing at your leisure!
Becoming an Author
March 30, 2022
Interview with librarian and soon-to-be-published author Adriana L. White.
Adriana White is an autistic librarian, former special education teacher, and writer. She is a staff editor for the website A Novel Mind, and frequently writes and speaks about neurodiversity and mental health in children’s books. You can visit her website adrianalwhite.com to learn more about her work, or follow her on Twitter at @Adriana_Edu.
Picture Books
April 6, 2022
Author/illustrator Sivan Hong interviews author Lindsey Rowe Parker & illustrator Rebecca Burgess
Lindsey Rowe Parker is a mom at the tail-end of toddlerhood, embracing the next phase of parenting while learning to navigate and advocate for her autistic daughter. With a recent adult diagnosis of ADHD, and a new deeper understanding of her own sensory experiences, she has begun to delve into the neurodiversity community learning all she can from neurodivergent voices. Wiggles, Stomps, and Squeezes Calms My Jitters Down is her first picture book, and she hopes it connects with everyone who has felt the need for a wiggle, stomp, or squeeze! Find out more on the website.
Rebecca Burgess is a comic artist and illustrator working in the UK, creating award winning published and small press work. Outside of drawing comics and cuddling their cat, Rebecca also loves playing RPGs with friends, going on deep dives into history and growing vegetables in their humble Bristol garden. Find out more on their website.
Sivan Hong authors and illustrates the best-selling children’s book series The Super Fun Day Books, including Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day and Avery G. and the Scary End of School. Her inspiring books focus on neurodiverse children, who overcome their challenges with perseverance and bravery. Sivan also serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Westport Public Library, the Rita Allen Foundation, Multicultural Children’s Book Day and the ASPCA. Find out more at SivanHong.com, on LinkedIn, and on Instagram.
Middle Grade
April 13, 2022
Sivan Hong interviews Sally J. Pla
Sally J. Pla is an award-winning author of books about young people whose brains work a bit differently, including the novels The Someday Birds and Stanley Will Probably Be Fine, and the picture book Benji, The Bad Day, And Me. Her newest contemporary middle-grade novel, The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn, will be out in Summer 2023. Sally’s also co-founder and editor of A Novel Mind, a web resource on mental health and neurodiversity representation in children’s lit. Find out lots more about her on linktree, at sallyjpla.com, and on Twitter @sallyjpla.
Sivan Hong authors and illustrates the best-selling children’s book series The Super Fun Day Books, including Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day and Avery G. and the Scary End of School. Her inspiring books focus on neurodiverse children, who overcome their challenges with perseverance and bravery. Sivan also serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Westport Public Library, the Rita Allen Foundation, Multicultural Children’s Book Day and the ASPCA. Find out more at SivanHong.com, on LinkedIn, and on Instagram.
Graphic Novels
April 20, 2022
Led Bradshaw of Jet Pulse Comics interviews son & co-creator Jacob Bradshaw
Led Bradshaw is an American comic book illustrator, autism advocate, and graphic artist. He is the creator of Jetpulse Studios and the illustrator for his flagship title “The New Adventures of Jake Jetpulse,” a comic book adventure featuring a superhero team led by a young boy with autism who is gifted with magnificent superpowers. It is an educational comic book series that was inspired by his son Jacob Bradshaw, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of four. Find out more on their website and on Instagram.
Young Adult
April 26, 2022, 3 pm ET
Brian Tashima interviews Meg Eden
Meg Eden Kuyatt is a 2020 Pitch Wars mentee, and teaches creative writing at Anne Arundel Community College. She is the author of the 2021 Towson Prize for Literature winning poetry collection “Drowning in the Floating World” (Press 53, 2020) and children’s novels, most recently “Selah’s Guide to Normal” (Scholastic, 2023). Find her online at www.megedenbooks.com or on Twitter at @ConfusedNarwhal and Instagram at @meden_author.
Brian Tashima is an author, screenwriter, musician, and philanthropist. His credits include the award-winning Joel Suzuki series—a set of young adult sci-fi/fantasy novels about a teenage boy who travels to a world where music is magic and autism is a superpower—and the manga-style comic book series Glorified. He also sings and plays guitar for the nerd-punk band Second Player Score and serves on the Board of Directors for Autism Empowerment, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people and families in the autism community. Find out more at joelsuzuki.com.
Our IG live series continues every Wednesday at 3 pm ET, on our Instagram page, where each week we chat with the movers and shakers in the world of diverse children’s literature. Can’t watch the interviews live? Watch them all later on our YouTube channel!Â
Geek Club Books Resources
Please click on each title below to download a PDF file for each one:
Autism Reflections by Lydia Wayman
Children’s Books About Autism
What Your Autistic Student Wants You to Know
An Instagram Live Interview with Author Sherri Maret
One of the many missions of MCBD is to always be shining the spotlight on authors of diverse kidlit. Thanks to the talents of MCBD Team Member and long-time CoHost, Leanna Guillen-Mora, we are excited to announce the addition of a reoccurring Instagram Live feature! Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET., followers can tune in and learn more about these amazing authors and their books.
Here’s a look at who Leanna interviewed this week!
Author Sherri Maret shares a plot twist surprise with the Choctaw illustrator of The Cloud Artist.
Past IG Lives with amazing diverse children’s book authors!
Annette Pimentel Bay & Magaly Morales
More Free Options for Diverse Book Promotion
1. We encourage authors and publishers to join the private MCBD Facebook Group. This group is a nice mix of parents, book reviewers, teachers, and authors, so you will be able to connect with like-minded people!
2. We are always looking for quality, diverse book-related guest posts on the MCBD blog. We would love to know more about your author’s journey, why you wrote your new book, and more about the book itself. Reach out to admin@multiculturalchildrensbookday.com to request a copy of our guest blogger guidelines.
3. We are tentatively planning some Facebook Lives during December and January in honor of MCBD2022 so that could be an opportunity for you as well.
We believe that ALL authors have something unique and wonderful with their work. We believe that ALL authors deserve to be able to shout the news of their book from the rooftops!
So let us know if we can work together in some fashion and, as always, do not hesitate to ask if there are any details that we can clarify for you.
#ReadYourWorld!
An Instagram Live Interview with Dr. Kimberly Gordon-Biddle
One of the many missions of MCBD is to always be shining the spotlight on authors of diverse kidlit. Thanks to the talents of MCBD Team Member and long-time CoHost, Leanna Guillen-Mora, we are excited to announce the addition of a reoccurring Instagram Live feature! Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET., followers can tune in and learn more about these amazing authors and their books. [Read more…]
An Instagram Live with Dr. Valerie Williams-Sanchez
One of the many missions of MCBD is to always be shining the spotlight on authors of diverse kidlit. Thanks to the talents of MCBD Team Member and long-time CoHost, Leanna Guillen-Mora, we are excited to announce the addition of a reoccurring Instagram Live feature! Every Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. ET., followers can tune in and learn more about these amazing authors and their books.
Here’s a look at who Leanna interviewed this week!
Dr. Valerie Williams-Sanchez! [Read more…]